Louis dube



(No Model.)

L. DUBE.

GAR BRAKE.

Patented Oct. 25, 1887.

N. PETERS. Phfllod thngrapher. Washingiom D, C.

iiniTnn STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

LOUIS DUBE, or ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR or ONEHALF TO JOSEPH DUBE, orSAME PLACE.

.CAR BRAKE.

I $PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,930, datedOctober 25, 1887.

Application filed February 26, 1887. Serial No. 228,804. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,LoUIs Donia, a citizen of the United States, residingat Albany,in the county of Albany and State of New York,have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Car-Brakes, of which thefollowing is aspecification.

My invention relates to brakes for cars in which are employed thedevices and elements and combinations of devices and elementshereinafter particularly described, and specifically set forth in theclaims.

The object of my invention is to produce in brakes for cars of the classshown in my former invention in Letters Patent No. 354,891, grantedDecember 28, 1886, a simpler form of construction of devices employedand more effective combinations of elements for readily applying thebrakeshoes to the periphery of the car-wheels with greater or lessforce, at the will of the operator. I attain this object by the meansillustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view from the lower side ofthe car. Fig. 2 is a side elevation taken at line 1 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isan elevation of the devices for operating the brake viewed from insidethe ear. Fig. 4 is aview, on an en larged scale, of the sheave andrack-pinion mechanism from the lower side. Fig. 5 is a side elevation ofthe same. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the hand operating mechanism, andFig. 7 is a side elevation of the same.

The same letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, A represents the bottom of g the car. B is one of itsplatforms, (the other not shown.) C is the dash-board, and D D are thewheels of the car, mounted on axles d d, which are suitably supported inbearingboxes, (not shown,) as practiced by thetrade.

E is a bracket secured to the lower side of the bottom of the car andprovided with pivot bolt a. This bracket can be made with any suitableform of construction and be provided such a distance as to hold thepivoting portion of bolt a at a point about on a planewith a horizontalline when drawn at about the middle of length of the brake-shoes,or atabout a point midway between the car-bottom and the rail Z.

F is a duplex cam-lever pivoted to the lower end of bracket E by pivota. This lever has 7 its opposite arms f f made with about equal length,and has connected with it the cams F F, which cams can be made solidwith said arms or be secured with them by any known suitable means.These cams F are each substantially a duplicate of the other in size and6 5 form, and are arranged in opposition to each other, and are made tohave such a form of construction as to give to their respective edgeoperatingfaces a progressive throw outward and off from their center ofmotion on pivot a, beginning each at a point past their center ofmotion, as at 0,011 one of the arms 1', and running outwardly on acurved line to point e, and thence relatively back of said center ofmotion, with a longer curved form, to a point on the other arm, as atc", at a greater distance from the pivot a than the point of be ginningof these cams, as at their respective points 0.

G G are the brake-shoes, which are pivoted on the ends of the brake-barsH. The shoes and their respective bars are suspended from the lower sideof the car, or a piece attached to the same, by hangers g g, whichhangers can be elastic or springlike in character, as

are sometimes used; or they can be so pivoted at their upper ends to thebottom of the car that the natiiral gravity of the shoes and bar willcarry the face of the shoes to a short distance from the periphery ofthe wheels, as 0 indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Connected with each brake-bar H at about its middle of length is afriction-roller, h, mounted in a housing, I, as indicated by dottedlines in Fig. 1 and shown in full lines in 5 Fig. 2. These housings Iare each made with a width between their upper and lower sides whichwill correspond with the thickness of the cams F, working between andagainst the rollers h.- These roller-housings I are shown to be eachmade with the screw-threaded stem a, which passes through correspondingholes 2 J V I 371,930

made in the brake-bar H at its middle of length, and secured by nuts 7070. By means of these screw-nuts 7c and 7c the housing I and its rollerh can be adjusted at will nigher to or farther off from the brake-bar,as may be required, or as the wear of the brake-shoes might demand anadjustment to be made to bring the faces of the shoes in proper relativesituation with reference to the peripheries of the wheels they are toengage with when the cam-lever is operated.

J J are stay-rods, which are connected each at one end with a housing Iand at the other end with the ear. These stay-rods hold these housingsfrom being thrust sidewise and from their normal positions when the camsare being operated against the rollers h in directions their length,permit the housings to be moved forward from the pivot a on which thecamlevers move.

K K are draw-rods suitably connected with the respective ends of thecam-lever F, and are carried past the ends of the car and to beneath theplatform of the same, where they connect with draw-chains L in the usualmanner. The draw-chains L (one only is shown) are connected with thesheave-wheels M by means of a lug, m, made solid with each said wheel,as shown in Fig. 4, and these sheavewheels are each secured to a shaft,N, to which is fixed the toothed wheel or pinion 0, so that they.thesheave-wheel, shaft, and toothed pinionwi1l revolve together. The shaftN, to which the sheave-wheel M and toothed wheel 0 are fixed, issupportedin suitable bearings, n a, secured to the lower side of theplatform B in a firm manner.

P is a foot-rack, which is supported in a vertical position by asuitable way, P, which is secured to the platform B. The toothed side ofthis rack engages with the toothed pinion o, and its upper end isprovided with a foot-plate, p. A downward pressure on the foot-plate ofthis rack will cause it to revolve the toothed pinion O, and therebyrevolve shaft N and sheave M, so that the latter will be made to draw ondraw-rod K through chain L and operate to move the cam-lever so as tocause the brake-shoes to be brought in contact with the peripheries ofthe car-wheels.

Q is a gravity-rack, suitably guided by the way Q, secured to theplatform. This gravity-rack is so arranged in relation to the sheave M,toothed pinion O, and foot-rack P that when the major portion of theteeth of this gravityraek is down below the toothed pinion the footrackwill be raised and the chain L will be un-. wound from off sheave M, asillustrated in Fig. 2. Secured to the upper end of this gravity-rack Qis the holding-rack R, having its upper end guided in a suitable way,a", connected with the hand-rail R of the dash-board. The teeth of thisrack are preferably made with inclined upper sides, as shown in Fig. 7.A detent, s, is placed opposite said teeth for engagement with the same,and a spring, 8', arranged to press on the opposite side edge of thisrack, forces said toothed portion forward, so that one of its teeth willhave engagement with said detent s.

T is a hand-lever working through a suitable eye made in piece S,holding the holdingrack R. Thislever is pivoted with piece S, and itsupper limb serves as a handle, by which it will be operated,while itslower limb is so bent as to bring its end to a bearing on two or more ofthe teeth of the holding-rack, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7. When thishand-lever is moved in direction of arrow 1 in Figs. 3 and 7, theopposite end of the lever will be moved in direction of arrow 2 in Fig.7 and be made to crowd against the toothed side of the holdingrack R andforce it back from detent s, so as to be free from engagement with thesame, the spring 8' at the same time yielding before the pressureoftheholding-rack pieeeonit. When released from detent 8, thisholding-rack will be free to move down through its way 1* in piece Suntil stopped by its lower end striking on the upperend of way Q ofgravity-rack Q. A suitable handle, q, is provided at any convenientpoint on the holding-rack for raising the same when desired.

The manner in which the several parts of this invention operates is asfollows: When the foot-lever P is raised up, as shown in Fig. 2, thegravity-rack Q will be down and the draw-chain L will be unwound fromsheave M and the cams F F of cam-lever F will be in position shown inFig. 1,with .the brake-shoes G off from the peripheries of thecar-wheels, While thegravity-rack Q will,by its own weight and weight ofthe holding-rack R, hold the toothed pinion M to position for holdingthe foot-rack up, as shown in Fig. 2. In the abovedescribed position ofthe several parts the said parts are in their normal position and inreadiness for operation at the will of the driven.

When the brake-shoes are to be brought against the peripheries of thecar-wheels, the operator will place one of his feet on the foot plate 1)and force the foot-rack P downwardly and in direction of arrow 3, andthereby cause the said foot-rack to revolve the toothed pinion 0 and thesheave M, when the latter will wind on chain L, and through it and thedrawrod K move the cam-lever F in direction of arrow 4, and cause thecams F F to move in a wedging manner against the respective rollers h inhousings I, and thereby, through stems i and the brake-bars H, forcetheir respective brake-shoes G G against the peripheries of theircorresponding ear-wheels. When the foot-rack P is being pressed down,pinion 0 will be revolved, and in its revolution it will operate withthe gravity-rack Q to raise it and its connected holding-rack B, whenthe detent s will engage with some one of the teeth in said holding-rackand hold the latter up to Where it is raised to, and thereby, throughthe lIO pinion O and sheave M, hold the draw-chain L wound on saidsheave, with the brakeshoes G pressing against the car-wheels throughthe operations of the cam-lever and its cams F F with thefriction-rollers of the brake-bars. When the wheels are to be releasedfrom the action of the brake-shoes, the operator will, with one hand onthe handle of the lever '1, move said lever in direction of arrows 1 inFigs. 3 and 7, when the opposite end of said lever will be forcedagainst the holding-rack B, when spring 8 will yield and said rack willbe moved off from engagement with detent s; and when free from thisdetent the weight of this holding-rack and its connected gravityrackwill operate to revolve pinion O in a reversed direction and cause thesheave M to unwind the draw-chain and atthe same time effect.

an elevation of the foot-rack P to its normal elevated situation, whenthe brake-shoes will be allowed to move away from the peripheries of thecar-wheels, and the cam-levers, with their cams, will be moved to theirnormal positions preparatory to another operation.-

By means of the handle q, with the holdingrack R, the operator can, bylifting upon it, operate the rack Q, and through it and the pinion O andsheave M wind up the draw chain L, and thereby draw the brake-shoestight against the car-wheels; or, again, the operator can, with one handlifting on handle q and with a foot on the foot-rack, operate conjointlyboth the gravity-rack and foot-rack to cause the pinion and sheave torevolve and wind on chain L for tightening the shoes on the ear-wheels.

I claim 1. In brakes for cars, the cam-lever F, l1aving with it theduplex cams F F, constructed with the curved faces 0 c and c c, andarranged in relation to the center of motion or pivot 04 of the saidcam-lever, in combination with the opposite friction-rollers andthebrakebars between the said rollers and the brakeshoes, substantiallyas and for the purposes set forth.

2. In brakes for cars, the combination, with brake-shoes G G, brake-barH, andthe cam F, of a friction-roller, h, contained in housing I andattached to a stem which is adapted to be adjusted in relation to thebrake-bar and said cam, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In brakes for cars, the combination, with the cam-lever F, draw-bar,and draw-chain,

of sheave M and toothed pinion O, fixed to the same shaft, and thefoot-rack P and gravityrack Q, operating with said pinion and inopposition to each other, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

4. In brakes for cars, the combination, with the sheave operating withthe draw-chain and the toothed pinion fixed on the same shaft andoperated by the footrack I, of the gravityrack Q. and holding-rack R,suitably guided and provided with a detent which will retain saidholdingrack in its lifted situation until released at the will of theoperator, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a brake for cars, the combination, with a chain-winding sheave andpinion fixed to the same shaft and afoot-rack operating with saidpinion, of a second rack operating also with said pinion and inopposition to the foot-rack, the holding-rack It, detent 3, spring 8,and

lever T, operated at will to disengage the said holding-rack and detent,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a brake for cars, the combination, with the foot-rack and apinion, and sheave operating with the draw-chain of the brake, of thegravity or second rack, operating also with the said pinion, andprovided with a lifting-handle, q, substantially as-for the purposes andoperations set forth.

LoUIs DUBE.

Witnesses:

ALEX. SELKIRK, CHARLES SELKIRK.

